


Darling, The Bruises On My Knees Aren't From Praying

by dontstudywritenovels



Series: Organically Grown in Maine [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Dex centered, Dex had a shitty childhood, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M, Mentions of Past Child Neglect, Panic Attacks, Teachers propositioning students for sex, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 13:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontstudywritenovels/pseuds/dontstudywritenovels
Summary: “How ‘bout it, Billy? A cold soda on this hot day for a lil favor, Poindexter?”OrDex thought when he left home for that greener Samwell grass that he could finally escape people treating him like southside scum.





	Darling, The Bruises On My Knees Aren't From Praying

**Author's Note:**

> Basically this is inspired by me watching the Fosters and Shameless 24/7. Enjoy((:

Billy’s hands are cracked and bleeding when he comes home. He’s twelve and it was his first day on his Uncle’s boat, working for less than minimum wage, alongside adults who sneered at him. He only got the job because he looks more like his dad’s brother than his mom likes to admit, his dad wouldn’t know the difference anyway.

 

His face is pink and peeling already. Rich is lying on the floor, past out, and Billy feels the anger swelling inside him. He takes the bottle from his father’s limp fingers, and takes a swig once he notices it’s still half full. Marie, his older sister, steals the bottle and smacks the back of his head just as quickly. Mentioning something about waiting until his was at least fifteen.

 

Sean is next to shuffle into the doorway, cut on his upper cheek and lip torn. He ruffles Billy’s hair and hands him a five, crooning about having won. Billy doesn’t comment about the bruises on his knees, knowing even back than the only way you make money is by swiping it when you can, even if you have to get on your knees for some guy behind the gas station.

 

Cathy comes in next, Josie on her hip and James tugging on her pant leg. Cathy’s the oldest, barely nineteen, Josie coming last at seven months. Cathy yells at him to start heating dinner, which is Mac and Cheese again, but Billy doesn’t quite mind yet. He pockets the five that Sean had gave him, officially staking his claim as Billy’s favorite yet again, and rushes over to help Marie pour in the noodles.

 

During dinner Cathy passes around the squirrel fund and Billy shoves his five in when Sean isn’t looking, but Marie gives him shit for it anyway. At night, when he fought Marie for the bunk and ended up on the floor again, he grits his teeth at the thought of what they could be. It mom hadn’t left again and if Rich would just fucking stay off of his bar stool for a few days, a few months.

 

When school starts back up again and he’s wearing the same shoes as last year, holes plaquing the soles and his shirt from the bad Goodwill, where Marie bargines the guy down a few dollars by batting her eyelashes and giggling too loud -people still yank his ears and call him southside trash when he walks by.

He clutches James’s hand a little tighter as they walk home, and pretends not to notice when George from the corner store leers at him when he passes, offering Billy _a cold soda on such a hot day_ , just for _a little favor, Poindexter_. Later, Marie tells him guys dig the red hair, especially since it’s getting long, tickling the top of his shoulders. Will starts cutting it himself every month.

He ends up on his knees anyway, a few weeks later, Billy comes home with ten dollars and his head sore where George had _yanked_ . Cathy is angry, tells him not to do it again, but shoves the ten in the squirrel bin anyway. Sean is mad when he gets home, picks up the bat from the doorway leaves with some of the O’Brien boys and doesn’t come back until the wood is dripping in blood and the red _burn_ to his skin hasn’t decreased in the slightest, yelling about pedophiles. When he notices George's cast and beaten in face next week he tugs Jacob harder and walks a little faster.

 

Doesn’t really matter though, because after George comes Connor and Trevor and guys whose names weren’t true and guys who were a little too rough and guys who called him names while they used him. He got used to it.

 

He hates school, but he’s good at it, really fucking good at it. Cathy and Sean turn him away from getting on his knees and start handing him college pamphlets, as if they could get the money. He’s tutoring kids and working on the boat and taking the younger kids to practice with him and has become a master at bottle feeding during AP Exams when Charles is born in his freshman year.

 

Hockey was his anomaly, he was good, actually good. Somehow, every year they made enough to keep him on the team and this was his way out. He had scouts on his tail with promises of greener grass, and he cries like a fucking baby when Marie tells him to go. Will doesn’t want to at first, but _this is how he can help, he is gonna go to college and fuck over rich kids at their own game and his is gonna make bank and he is gonna come back and they are going to buy a house on the North Side and send Charles to fucking private school._

 

In the end, Will choses Samwell. It has the best scholarship, he can still drive home if he needs to and he doesn’t mind the promise of 1 in 4. Will wonders if he made a mistake when he meets Derek Nurse, but then Nurse becomes Nursey and Will enjoys the fight.

 

Until it all goes to shit, more or less. Will enjoys science and math, but english and writing has always been a sore spot. He isn’t good at it, especially not good at the “next level” college take on it. His professor spews bullshit about passion and soul, and Will does the bare minimum. It gets to the point where his is barely passing, and finals are coming up and he _needs help or he’s going to fail and lose his fucking scholarship and his only chance at actually doing something with his life._

 

Will really doesn’t enjoy talking to this professor and avoids in whenever he can because something always just rubbed his wrong about him, and maybe that’s because Will knew better.

 

So when he tries to explain the situation after a lecture and how he really needs guidance and Professor Smith just chuckles, Will feels his world just _tilt_ a little in warning.

 

“I understand, William. I tend to make sure I am aware of my student’s who may need extra help or who are under the pressure of scholarships.” For a moment, for an oblivious moment, Will feels relieved. Until Professor Smith looks up once again and says, “I’m sure we can make an exception to the the final exam if your grade is worthy of failing you, for, uh, of course, _a little favor_ in return?”

 

_“How ‘bout it, Billy? A cold soda on this hot day for a lil favor, Poindexter?”_

 

Will’s head jerks up.

 

“I’ll give you a bit to think about it, of course. Let me know before the final?”

 

Will enters the Haus and Chowder is on the couch with a soda tipped slightly in his slumber and Bitty is in the kitchen rambling about homemade pasta and Shitty is coming through the door in cargo shorts like Sean’s and it’s like he never left. Like he never escaped, that he’s still there with Rich passed out on the floor and and cuts on his hands and everything crushing in on him.

 

He doesn’t notice that his breath has escaped him and he’s on the floor panting until Shitty is at his back trying to talk to him, Chowder has sprung up from the couch and Bitty is bringing him water and a cold compress.

 

Jack is by his side when he can feel himself breathing normally again, following Jack’s count.

 

“Okay Dex, in on one, two, three, four. Out, one, two, three, four-” He’s sitting in the kitchen, at the table, and nods Jack off, breathing on his own, taking of sip of the water when he can finally get himself under control.

 

Jack is sitting across from him, worry etched onto his face. Shitty is behind him, rubbing circles into his shoulders and Chowder and Nurse are watching him by the door -trying and failing not to crowd him as Bitty refills his water.

 

Will is trying to apologize, but Jack just waves a hand.

 

“We all get overwhelmed sometimes, eh?” And Will shrugs at the pity smile that comes with the statement. “You obviously don’t have to tell us-”

 

“It was stupid-” Will rushed, “Chowder was on the couch with the soda, asleep, and Shitty was wearing cargo shorts and Bitty was cooking and it was just like home and I _hated_ it. It’s like I’m still there with Rich on the fucking floor passed out drunk and Sean with the fucking bruises and Marie cooking and I left. I fucking left, but _I’m_ still here.”

 

Will hands were clenched into fists on the table top, arms trembling.

 

“What’s wrong with you being here, Dex?” Shitty asked behind him and Will squeezed his eyes shut, painfully tight.

 

“I’m failing one of my classes-”

 

“Dex,” Bitty coos, ”That’s fixable honey, you won’t lose your scholarship. Have you tried talking to your teacher?” Dex nods slowly.

 

“He wants me to do him a _favor_ for the grade,” Will says lowly. Jack’s entire body goes rigid in an instant. Nurse sits down on his other side of him.

 

“He said what?” Nursey gruffs. Chowder’s hand clenched on the doorway, knuckles turning white.

 

“It doesn’t matter, I don’t care about him. It’s just, nobody would ask Jack to do that or Nurse. He said, said he kept tabs on his scholarship kids who are struggling, because he _knows_ . That I need the grade, I’m the one who would do _that_ to get it.

 

“Oh, Dex, honey no-”

 

“Don’t fucking say no, Bits, because he’s right. Lil fucking poor Billy from small town Maine will get on his knees for a couple of bucks, for a fucking good grade in English. What’s the difference right? Whether it’s putting food on the table or staying in college.” Tears are streaming down Will’s face again and he’s struggling to breathe again, and it’s fucking dumb that he thought he could be anything else that south-side scum.

 

“Fuck _that_. You’re fucking William Jackass Poindexter. You fucking made your place here, fucking earned it. Your fucking smart as hell and sure you’re not as good in English, but I am. We’ll study for your final together and show that fucking scumbag what you're made of.” Derek promised.

 

“You don’t need to do that anymore, we’ve got your back. I’ve got your back, Dex. We’ll do this together.”

 

“Together,” Will agreed, unclenching his fingers and glancing up at Nursey.

 

End.

**Author's Note:**

> I LIVE OF KUDOS AND COMMENTS (mainly comments).
> 
> Yell at my on my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/virgobreakdown) !


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